Support milk producers to reduce their milk carbon footprint
Through its program called « Les 2 Pieds sur Terre », Danone is supporting French milk producers to reduce their milk carbon footprint, to restore soil health and to have positive communication on farming. The approach chosen has various stages, is co-built with the agricultural ecosystem and gathers numerous experts and partners: awareness, technical support, follow-up on action plans, project co-financing, test and disseminate practices and results on field.
Main project's drivers for reducing the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
Energy and resource efficiency
Energy Decarbonisation
Energy efficiency improvements
Improving efficiency in non-energy resources
Emission removal
Financing low-carbon issuers or disinvestment from carbon assets
Reduction of other greenhouse gases emission
Project objectives
Support Danone’s milk producers in order to reduce their milk carbon footprint by 15% by 2025, to improve soil health, competitiveness, communicate positively on milk society, test and disseminate best practices to dairy actors.
The dairy sector represents 6% of French greenhouse emissions, and more than 50% of Danone’s direct and indirect greenhouse emissions.
The « Les 2 Pieds sur Terre »,program, co-financed by Danone and the Danone Ecosystem Fund aims to support and accompany milk farmers (during 5 years) to reduce their milk carbon footprint through diagnosis that respond the milk sector’s methodology in order to identify the best practices to do so, and through follow-up of action plans co-defined in order to set in place the levers identified thanks to the involved partners:
- Cattle management (optimize cows number, health and reproduction)
- Livestock feed (soy replacement, fodder quality and optimize concentrates)
- Fertilization (reasoned fertilization, plan legumes)
- Crops management (pasture, hedges, reduce soil working, crops rotation, cover soil)
- Reduce pesticides (rational use and alternative)
When the best practices are identified, the farmers can share their project of carbon footprint reduction on the crowdfunding platform called MiiMOSA, and potentially get access to additional funds thanks to the civil society and Danone. This platform is a great vector of visibility to show the actions on field set in place to fight against climate change, to promote animal welfare. The best practices shared on the platform are identified and disseminated to inspire all the farmers.
This program has various goals:
- Reduce milk carbon footprint by 15% by 2025 (annual follow-up via CAP’2ER)
- Improve soil health (about 50 farmers in pilot experimentations)
- Improve their competitiveness
- Communicate positively on milk among Society (via the crowdfunding platform MiiMOSA – 147 farmers supported today)
- Test and disseminate best practices to dairy actors
Emission scope(s)
on which the project has a significant impact
Scope 1
Direct emissions generated by the company's activity.
Scope 2
Indirect emissions associated with the company's electricity and heat consumption.
Scope 3
Emissions induced (upstream or downstream) by the company's activities, products and/or services in its value chain.
Emission Removal
Carbon sinks creation, (BECCS, CCU/S, …)
Avoided Emissions
Emissions avoided by the activities, products and/or services in charge of the project, or by the financing of emission reduction projects.
Scope 3 – Reduce suppliers’ carbon footprint
Quantification : 6% reduction of net carbon footprint in between 2017 and 2019 according to the CAP’2ER methodology. This equals to about 29 722 tons of CO2/year avoided thanks to our program.
Avoided Emissions -Reduce carbon footprint of milk production, all things equal.
NA
Key points
Invested amount
5,8 M€
Starting date of the project
2018
Project localisation
France
Project maturity level
Prototype laboratory test (TRL 7)
Real life testing (TRL 7-8)
Pre-commercial prototype (TRL 9)
Small-scale implementation
Medium to large scale implementation
Economic profitability of the project (ROI)
Short term (0-3 years)
Middle term (4-10 years)
Long term (> 10 years)
Illustrations of the project
The program « Les 2 Pieds sur Terre » contributes to the following SDGs:
- SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation: protect water resources quantity and quality is a pilar of regenerative agriculture, such agricultural practices are developed in the program
- SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy: reducing greenhouse emissions means promoting green energy and responsible/sustainable consumption
- SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: the farmers’ pilar in the regenerative agricultural model. It includes long term contract with a revenue that covers production costs, as well as the farmers’ resilience.
- SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production: the program promotes and supports local protein autonomy.
- SDG 13: Climate Action: regenerative agriculture brings solutions to fight against climate change, while preserving soil health and biodiversity in order to capture carbon in soils.
- SDG 15: Life on Land: protecting biodiversity is a lever of regenerative agriculture (agroforestry, natural habitat, planting hedges, preserving pastures…).
- SDG 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal: « Les 2 Pieds sur Terre » is a program that involves a lot of co-building with the farmers and other local partners such as the French Livestock Institute, MiiMOSA, BTPL, Agriculture & Territoire, France Conseil Elevage, Pâturesens, Agricultural Chambers, Pour Une Agriculture du Vivant, CDA, Gaïago, La Vache Heureuse, Coop de Creully.
« Les 2 Pieds sur Terre » program is fully in the alignment of the Low Carbon Farming initiative, which is global in the French dairy sector, as well as the overall sustainability movement in the dairy sector. Danone uses the tool CAP’2ER to evaluate environmental impacts. The soil pilar of the « Les 2 Pieds sur Terre » program also strengthen the commitments taken during the COP21 and contributes to Danone’s program in order to reduce overall greenhouse emissions, which is essential to reach the Zero Net Carbon goal by 2050.
The program can be reproduced elsewhere, is adaptable and the impact can be amplified with alike projects in other countries where Danone operates.The program is co-financed by the Danone Ecosystem Fund. To find other fundings is essential for the programs’ continuation.
« Les 2 Pieds sur Terre » is a program that involves a lot of co-building with the farmers and other local partners such as the French Livestock Institute, MiiMOSA, BTPL, Agriculture & Territoire, France Conseil Elevage, Pâturesens, Agricultural Chambers, Pour Une Agriculture du Vivant, CDA, Gaïago, La Vache Heureuse, Coop de Creully.
Contact the company carrying the project :
cecilia.le-viol@danone.com
